Alloa Athletic were thumped 6 – 0 at Tynecastle Park in what was a confident performance from the league leaders.
The win ended a three-game winless run and moved the team closer to finally securing a return to the Premiership. If Dundee and Raith Rovers both fail to win on Saturday the title will be Hearts’.
Liam Boyce was the star of the show with a hat-trick, while Euan Henderson, Aaron McEneff and Jamie Walker were on the scoresheet but there were a number of good performances throughout.
How did the players involved rate out of ten?
Player ratings scale - 10: One of the best performances you've seen. 9: Outstanding. 8: Very good. 7: Good. 6: Average. 5: Poor, 4: Very poor. 3: A terrible day at the office. 2: Abysmal. 1: One of the worst performances you've seen.
1. Craig Gordon - 6
Had a relatively quiet game. Alloa created early chances but didn’t test him other than a tame Innes Cameron effort. Photo: Ross Parker - SNS Group
2. Michael Smith - 7
Playing right of a back three. Stepped in to press well. Barely had to break sweat. Photo: Ross MacDonald - SNS Group
3. Craig Halkett - 7
Sporting a new haircut, won a physical battle with Cameron. Minus a moment of first-half hesitation was on it throughout, powering through headers and making sure Cameron didn’t get turned. Photo: Rob Casey - SNS Group
4. John Souttar - 7
A solid return to first-team action. Passed the ball out of play in the first half but aside from that looked assured and not someone who had missed more than 400 days of football. Covered well when needed. Photo: Ross Parker - SNS Group